Upton’s ‘Keep Your Own Health Plan Act’ is just cynical fluff

Nov. 7, 2013, Fairfax, Va.— Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens today issued the following statement on the announcement that the House of Representatives will vote on Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton’s “Keep Your Own Health Plan Act”:

“The House of Representatives plan to vote on legislation by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton that would allow health insurance companies to have the option to continue to offer health care policies for another year is both bad policy and bad politics.

“The proposal is bad policy because it does not reflect the reality of shifting insurance pools due to the imposition of Obamacare and provides a false expectation among customers. Congress waiving a magic wand and declaring that insurers can now offer existing insurance plans for another year that may or may not have the necessary customer base to support it does not solve the underlying problem caused by Obamacare.

“Worse, it allows those very Members of Congress who are responsible for the Obamacare disaster to blame the health insurers for cancellations while offering false hope that Congress has taken a meaningful action.

“In the ‘brave new world’ of the politics of the possible, it is likely that shifting blame while not taking real action to stop the Obamacare train wreck, will be a popular solution.

“Those who vote for this political dodge should be ashamed of themselves for opting for political gamesmanship rather than re-opening the push for the real solution of repealing, defunding or delaying of the entire law.

“Americans for Limited Government urges a no vote on the Upton “Don’t Blame Us” legislation. It doesn’t solve the problem of Obamacare caused health insurance cancellations, while crassly allowing Congress to point their fingers at the private health insurance industry for cancellations caused by the President’s health care law.”

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